OAKLAND, CA-GlobeSt.com exclusively learns that an impressive wave of business growth in the past year has changed the face and feel of the Lake Merritt Uptown & Downtown District Associations in Downtown Oakland. Both districts have seen long vacant store fronts and empty office spaces fill with goods, services, restaurants, entrepreneurial retail, office workers, diners, shoppers and people who have chose to both live and work in the Districts.
“Historically, when the San Francisco market heats-up, new tenants come to Oakland and 'kick tires',” says Ryan R. Hattersley, senior director of broker services at Cushman & Wakefield. “Over the past year, we have seen more than just tire-kicking,” he says.
According to Hattersley, the businesses that are moving to Oakland “recognize that Oakland has not only become a cool place, but that it offers high quality and well priced office and retail space with a great 'foodie' scene.” All of this is close to BART—two stops and 12 minutes from the Embarcadero in San Francisco—and relatively inexpensive parking is also available, he says. “Many of their employees already live—or plan to live—in the East Bay,” Hattersley adds.
Most of the approximate 182,000 square feet of space was leased to accommodate new retail and services businesses moving into the City's central business core in the past year. “There was also space leased to businesses that were renewing leases and expanding their footprints to accommodate growth needs,” according to a prepared statement.
Businesses and Service firms who signed leases included:
- Chase Bank leased 7,930 square feet at 1330 Broadway.
- Circlepoint, a company that provides strategic communications, environmental planning and creative services solutions, signed a lease for 6,400 square feet at 1814 Franklin.
- The SparkArt Group Inc., a branding company that has been involved in many high profile strategy, design and development campaigns for high level national corporations, leased 6,333 square feet at 2201 Broadway.
- Simpson Gumpertz & Heger, signed a 5,500 square foot lease at 500 12th St.
- Parsons Service signed a lease for 4,900 square feet at 155 Grand.
- Oles, Morrison, Rinker & Baker signed a 4,200 square foot lease at 1901 Harrison.
- Emotive Brands signed a lease for 3,300 square feet at 580 2nd St.
- Mainz Brady Group signed a 3,100 square foot lease at 1999 Harrison.
- HDR Inc., a global engineering and architectural firm signed a 3,000 square foot lease 1111 Broadway. “Although HDR already has offices in Walnut Creek and San Francisco, we opened a new Oakland office to be closer to our clients and shorten the commute for our staff who live in the East Bay. We're excited about becoming a part of Oakland's business community,” says Amy Gilleran, HDR Area Manager for Northern California.
- Education, Training & Resource signed a 3,000 square foot lease at 1333 Broadway.
- Hardiman & Carroll signed a 2,900 square foot lease at 180 Grand.
- Thornhill Property Service, leased a 2,400 square foot space at 1901 Harrison.
- Keller, Fishback & Jackson signed a 2,400 square foot lease at 180 Grand.
- Your Voice Media signed a 2,000 square foot lease at 1111 Broadway.
- Foster Interstate Media signed a 1,500-square-foot lease at 1111 Broadway.
- Seaco Americas signed a 1,200-square-foot lease at 2102 Webster.
- Wireless Options leased 300 square feet at 337 19th Street.
Government / Non-profit included:
- The State of California signed a 24,000-square-foot lease at 1111 Broadway.
- Compasspoint nonprofit services signed a 8,300-square-foot lease at 500 12th St.
- The Mitchell Kapor Foundation, a nonprofit family foundation supporting organizations creating social change in communities of color, moved its headquarters from San Francisco to 2201 Broadway on a 5,900-square-foot lease.
- Global Citizen Year, signed a 4,000-square-foot lease at 1625 Clay St.
- Amazon Watch, a nonprofit organization founded in 1996 to protect the rainforest and advance the rights of indigenous people in the Amazon Basin, relocated from San Francisco to 2201 Broadway and signed a 3,900-square-foot lease.
- Hispanics in Philanthropy, a resource for the Latino & Latin America civil sector, signed a lease for 3,000 square feet at 414 13th Street.
- The Sound Room, a community supported live music venue & art gallery, opened in a 1,850-square-foot space at 2147 Broadway.
Manufacturing:
- Hardcandy Cases, a manufacturer of cases for mobile devices, signed a 4,600-square-foot lease at 10 Clay St.
Digital:
- One firm which was born in the Uptown District of Oakland, and has been the catalyst for a brewing digital industry movement there is Pandora Media Inc., the Oakland-based digital music provider. Pandora has recommitted to its Oakland roots by expanding its 50,000-square-foot headquarters space to 75,000 square feet, adding 25,000 square feet at 2100 Franklin last July.
Restaurant, Food, Retail Shops & Entertainment:
- The New Parkway Theater leased 7,000 square feet at 474 24th St.
- Duende leased 5,000 square feet at 468 19th St.
- Loring Café leased 5,000 square feet at 37 Grand Ave.
- The Betti Ono Gallery signed a lease for 3,296 square feet at 1427 Broadway.
- Uptown Kitchen, a fully equipped commercial kitchen for professional cooks, opened in a 2,500 square foot space at 2145 Broadway.
- Sweet Bar Bakery leased 2,200 square feet at 2355 Broadway.
- Borgo Italia leased 2,200 square feet at 499 9th St.
- Stags Lunchette leased 1,800 square feet at 362 17th St.
- Fauna leased 1,500 square feet at 1900 Telegraph.
- Collector's Haven leased 1,500 square feet at 374 17th St.
- Harper Greer leased 1,500 square feet at 43 Grand Ave.
- Anfilo Coffee leased 1,500 square feet at 35 Grand Ave.
- SoleSpace leased 1,300 square feet at 1714 Telegraph.
- Shoe Groupie leased 1,100 square feet at 1621 Broadway.
- OwlNWood signed a lease for 950 square feet at 45 Grand Ave.
- Two Jacks Denim leased 800 square feet at 2355 Broadway.
- Nneka signed a lease for 800 square feet at 1427 Broadway.
- Vamp leased 700 square feet at 331 19th St.
- Tea Here Now leased 300 square feet at 1721 Webster.
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Natalie Dolce
Natalie Dolce, editor-in-chief of GlobeSt.com and GlobeSt. Real Estate Forum, is responsible for working with editorial staff, freelancers and senior management to help plan the overarching vision that encompasses GlobeSt.com, including short-term and long-term goals for the website, how content integrates through the company’s other product lines and the overall quality of content. Previously she served as national executive editor and editor of the West Coast region for GlobeSt.com and Real Estate Forum, and was responsible for coverage of news and information pertaining to that vital real estate region. Prior to moving out to the Southern California office, she was Northeast bureau chief, covering New York City for GlobeSt.com. Her background includes a stint at InStyle Magazine, and as managing editor with New York Press, an alternative weekly New York City paper. In her career, she has also covered a variety of beats for M magazine, Arthur Frommer's Budget Travel, FashionLedge.com, and Co-Ed magazine. Dolce has also freelanced for a number of publications, including MSNBC.com and Museums New York magazine.
